On The Beach

By Lienlong L., Philadelphia, PA

Nevil Shute makes a terrifying story scarier than any horror movie and more devastating than anything I can imagine. I have never read a book so shocking that it actually made me shiver as I read it. It captured my imagination, describing how the world could possibly end and the effect of nuclear weapons on human existence.

On The Beach is not a horror story but a story about the world after the nuclear war C how the world ends. The way Nevil Shute describes this makes the story scary. He tells of a city polluted with poisonous radiation and dead bodies everywhere. Another shocking part is his description of the how the last survivors face their doom. Should they take cyanide pills, so they can die in peace (and quickly) or be very sick and eventually die from the poisonous air days later?

This is a very moving and suspenseful novel. I recommend it for any enthusiastic reader. If you like the suspense of Crimson Tide, this will blow you away! .